


i think i kinda, you know

by brokenlikeastitch



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M, They love each other so much, a bit of implied homophobia, and they were ROOMMATES, auston doesn't play hockey, he's an Academic, pretty much just fluff, we do not acknowledge paul marner here thanks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:41:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28729050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokenlikeastitch/pseuds/brokenlikeastitch
Summary: five times auston was just his roommate and one time he wasn't
Relationships: Mitch Marner/Auston Matthews
Comments: 12
Kudos: 122





	i think i kinda, you know

**Author's Note:**

> the leafs play hockey today and this is my celebration  
> barely edited, we die like men

Mitch liked to joke that he and Auston were soulmates. A random meeting followed by great luck in both where Mitch was drafted and where Auston planned to go to school. “We’re so meant to be, dude,” Mitch told him at least once a week.

It all started the summer of 2015 when Auston was in Florida on a grad trip. He and his friends did a road trip from Arizona to Florida, planning to end in Disney, but when they saw the NHL draft was in Sunrise, they decided to go.

“Dude, the Yotes are picking third overall,” Auston’s friend Zach spoke excitedly. Which, duh, Auston knew, but he’d been looking forward to Disney. Eventually, he folded, his friends wanted to go, and it was all of their grad trips. So they bought tickets for the first round. 

They got to Sunrise early that morning, and got a hotel room for the night and to nap before the start of the draft. The four of them showed up, tickets in hand, wearing Yotes jerseys, and received a few dirty looks from the Florida fans milling around the arena.

It was exciting, all of them sitting at the edge of their seats when it was the Yotes’ turn. Maloney took the stage and announced Dylan Strome. Zach sighed, “Kinda hoping for Marner.”

“Same,” Auston murmured, watching as a few minutes later, Lou Lamoriello took the stage and announced Mitch Marner. 

“Well damn,” Zach leaned back, “guess it was a bit of a reach to hope he’d fall to 30th.”

Auston snorted, “Yeah, a bit.”

The rest of the first round went fairly slow, the four of them just waiting until the 30th pick rolled around. 

Trevor shrugged as they all leaned against the wall, waiting for Zach to finish in the bathroom, “I don’t know man. Doesn’t sit right with me that Aho was on the board still and we didn’t take him.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Evan waved his comment away, “In Maloney we trust.”

Auston snorted, “Since when?”

“Today. I’ve officially decided.”

“Well, I’ve officially decided I can draft better than Maloney,” Trevor answered him, “because he made some  _ choices _ to say the least.”

Before Evan could retort, Zach rushed breathlessly out of the bathroom, “Who wants to fucking party with future NHLers tonight?”

And that’s how they ended up at the same bar as the first round draftees, drinking underaged and pretending to have no clue who they were.

“Okay guys,” Zach instructed as they stood outside the bar, “we have to play it cool. We’re a group of dudes, they’re a group of dudes, not NHL players.”

Auston helpfully pointed out, “If anyone’s going to blow our cover, it’ll be you. Chill out man.”

“Fuck you, Matts. I’m so chill.”

They got in easily, the bouncers not even looking twice at their fakes before giving them bracelets for the bar. Zach was practically vibrating, and he planted a hand on Auston’s shoulder to balance as he rose on his tiptoes to look for them.

Auston yelled over the music, “Dude, there’s Eichel.”

“Where?” Zach yelled back.

“Corner. Wanna go say hey?”

Zach came off his toes and bit his lip nervously, “Is that weird?”

“Dude, I don’t know. If you’re pretending to not know him, flirt with him or something.”

“That could work,” Zach mused, and before Auston could say anything else, he was heading over toward the table Eichel and Noah Hanifin, it looked like, were sitting at.

When Auston turned around, Trevor and Evan were fighting for a spot at the bar, and a boy, much shorter than him, was standing right behind him, grinning around the straw in his drink. Resisting the urge to jump at the boy’s sudden appearance, he smiled awkwardly, “Um, sorry bro.”

“All good,” the boy responded easily, “I’m Mitch by the way.”

Auston raised his eyebrows, finally recognizing him, “I’m Auston.”

Mitch held his hand out and Auston shook it. They held on a bit longer than was probably acceptable, and after a few seconds, Mitch stepped back, “Can I get you a drink?”

“Um, yeah. Vodka soda is fine.”

Auston, for the first time, felt the full force of Mitch’s smile focused on him, and had to resist the urge to close his eyes. It was so bright, but he couldn’t help but feel drawn to its warmth. Mitch wasn’t gone long, and he handed Auston the drink before dragging him over to a table where Dylan Strome and Connor McDavid were sitting.

“Guys,” he announced before plopping down next to Dylan, “this is Auston.”

“Sup,” Dylan deadpanned. Auston felt a weird pang in his chest knowing that this guy was going to play for his favorite hockey team, but pushed it away.

“Hey,” he managed.

Mitch rolled his eyes, “I know you want to be asleep, Dyls, but we’re celebrating,” he turned to Auston, “Grumpy over here is Dylan, and Mr. Desolate over there is Connor.”

“You guys surely don’t look like you’re celebrating,” Auston let tumble out, dismayed as soon as his brain caught up to his mouth.

“We’re splitting up soon,” Mitch confided, “so it’s a bittersweet celebration.”

“Ah,” Auston nodded sympathetically, pretending to not know what was going on, “me and my friends too actually.”

“Oh,” Mitch looked around curiously, “where are your friends?”

Auston craned his neck to look for them. He pointed over his shoulder at Zach still in the corner booth, “My buddy Zach is over there. And then those two guys talking to the brunettes at the bar.”

Mitch nodded, “Oh in the corner there? We know those guys he’s with.”

“Oh, nice.”

“So what’s the occasion?” Mitch asked.

“We just graduated high school. All going to different colleges.”

With a hum, Mitch glanced knowingly at his bracelet. Auston took his arm off the table, even though he knew he and Mitch were close to the same age, and Mitch graciously switched the subject, “We’re kind of doing the same.”

After debating in his head for a few seconds, maybe it was the alcohol he’d consumed pretty quick, or maybe it was the hope he could keep in contact with Mitch afterward, maybe made easier if he told the truth up front.

“I, um,” he paused, taking a sip of his drink to stall, “I kinda know who you guys are.”

Mitch raised his eyebrows, “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, congrats, guys.”

They were silent, and Auston started to panic internally, before Mitch broke into another bright smile as he gushed, “Thanks man, it really is a dream come true! Hometown team.”

Dylan snorted and Auston turned to him, “Don’t hate man, Arizona is awesome.”

“Not hating,” he mumbled, “very grateful. Just tired.”

“Davo’s hating,” Mitch cheerfully told him, “never seen a color combination quite like green Davo about to vomit and orange.”

Connor elbowed him, “Be nice, Mitchy.”

“Have fun freezing to death,” he crowed before turning back to Auston, “So, where are you going to college?”

“University of Toronto.”

Mitch’s eyebrows shot up and even Dylan sat up a little to look at him better. He squinted at Auston, “Coincidence you found Mitch then, huh?”

“Technically Mitch found me,” Auston defended.

And Mitch had to reluctantly agree, “That’s true. I spotted him first. In that case, give me your number. If you need help when you get to the city. Don’t want to risk losing you and having to test fate that we’d meet a second time.”

Auston’s cheeks heated up, and that’s how it all began. Texting Mitch turned to calling turned to FaceTiming. After several confessions and serious conversations, Mitch finally asked him out. 

“I have to warn you,” Mitch told him that night, “I’m not out to the public. Everyone important knows, but for now, it has to be pretty lowkey.”

And in the moment, Auston was too giddy and high on feelings to do anything but agree.

**One**

Auston and Mitch did the whole long distance thing for a year while Auston was in Toronto and Mitch was in London. It was tough, especially since they were so new, but Auston was pretty busy trying to get adjusted to university life and Mitch with his season. Either way, they made it work.

Then Mitch made the show. He showed up at Auston’s apartment, beaming from ear to ear, that smile that warmed Auston from the inside, “Matts, guess the fuck what?”

“What?” Auston asked, holding the door open far enough to invite Mitch in.

“I fucking made it. Lou called me into his office and Babcock was sitting there and I almost shit my pants because that’s so scary. Then they were all like ‘Mitch we’ve been so impressed with your improvement this year. We think we’re going to keep you up for the pre-season’ and then I shook their hands and pretty much ran to the train to get over here.”

He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down, and Auston held his arms out for a hug, speaking, “God, Mitchy, I’m so proud of you,” into the top of his head as they hugged tightly.

When Mitch was finally calm again, he tensed, “Oh shit, I have to call my mom!”

“Tell Bonnie I said hey,” Auston called after him as Mitch made a beeline for the couch to make his phone call. Auston went back to his room to pick the homework he’d been doing back up.

-

Mitch stayed in a hotel until he got called into another meeting, letting him know he was staying up for the foreseeable future. Over his and Auston’s belated one year anniversary dinner, he broke the news, and Auston immediately suggested Mitch move in with him.

“Oh my god, yes!” Mitch answered, “That would be so awesome!”

“I have that extra bedroom if you ever need space,” Auston rambled, as if he still had to sell it to Mitch, “and you won’t even really have to chip in for rent.”

Mitch put a hand over Auston’s, “You don’t have to convince me, I’m down for it. And of course I’ll help with rent and utilities and groceries.”

A weight flew off Auston’s shoulders because if he was getting Mitch’s help, he could probably cut his hours at work. He paused before asking, “You sure?”

“Positive.”

Of course Mitch’s teammates wanted a housewarming party. It was clear most of them didn’t know he was living in a kinda small apartment with a roommate who had nothing to do with hockey when they showed up.

“Um,” one of the guys Auston recognized as Naz, looked at the number next to the door, “Is this where Mitchy lives?”

“I’m here!” Mitch yelled from further back in the apartment, probably from their bedroom, “Coming, gimme a second!”

Auston stepped aside to let them in, and Morgan Rielly gave him a weird look, “Um, who are you.”

“This is Auston,” Mitch told him, finally joining the rest of them, “he’s my roomie.”

“Tour,” one of the boys in the back cheered before Mitch could introduce anyone else, and he shrugged at Auston, a fond look on his face.

Auston waved him away, “I’m going to order the pizzas, you left the list on the counter right?”

“Yep!” Mitch answered before turning to the group of boys, “Tour starts now, no touching.”

They hadn’t really talked about how they were going to break the news to Mitch’s teammates that he was dating a guy. Mitch just shrugged, “Some of them are probably too dumb to realize unless we outright tell them. But even if they aren’t, I don’t care. I’m not ashamed of you and I’m not ashamed of my sexuality.”

Auston had experienced firsthand the toxic masculinity wrapped up in sports and homophobia. He envied Mitch’s bravery, and was honestly quite touched Mitch was happy enough with him. Mitch rejoined him in the kitchen, group of boys following him, “And last stop is the kitchen. Neither of us cook a ton, but Auston is definitely ten times better than me.”

“I’m sure that’s not hard, Marns,” one of the guys Auston recognized as William Nylander chirped.

“It’s not. Don’t know how he ate pre-game meals before living here, were they even edible?” Auston teased, walking around to stand next to Mitch. Mitch leaned into his side with a smile.

“Nah, definitely not. But Auston’s the best, so he’d do it even if I did know how to cook.”

“Cute,” William answered, narrowing his eyes at the two of him knowingly, “so, what are you feeding us?”

“Pizza,” Auston told them, “I’m about to run down and pick it up.”

“I’ll go with,” William volunteered, shrugging his jacket back on, “I’m sure you ordered a lot.”

Auston shrugged, “Fine with me, let’s go.”

It was quiet at first, William and Auston walking side by side down the street, with their feet on the concrete being the only sound. Then William broke the silence, “So you and Marns, huh?”

Auston felt himself stiffen, “Yeah.”

Holding his hands up placating, William responded, “Chill dude, no judgment. Mitch just never mentioned a boyfriend.”

Auston shrugged, “Hockey’s not the safest place for guys like me.”

His eyebrows furrowed, and William shoved his hands in his pockets, “Guys like you as in gay or guys like you as in not white?”

Laughing humorlessly, Auston answered, “Both. And Mitchy has always been very protective.”

“He’s a good dude.”

“He is,” Auston nodded. 

“You love him?”

Auston snorted, “How can you not? Mitch is my favorite person in the whole world.”

“Good,” William nodded, “he deserves nothing less.”

“That we can agree on.”

The tension Auston didn’t quite register before was gone and the walk was much more pleasant. William seemed contemplating some of his words, and Auston didn’t mind, just hummed along to one of the songs Mitch had gotten stuck in his head. 

The pizzas were ready when they got there and Auston paid, handing half the boxes to William, before exiting the shop. The worker waved bye to Auston, and William asked, “You know him?”

“Been living in this neighborhood for over a year, and this place is cheap but good, so yeah.”

“Mitch’s money?” William asked, faking casual.

Gritting his teeth, Auston answered, “No, it’s my card. I do have my own income.”

He shrugged, his smile a little mocking, “Just asking. Marns is on a rookie contract now and it’s a lot, but he’ll get paid more one day.”

Auston shifted the pizzas to one hand and scratched his tense jaw, trying to find a way to not scream at this teammate of Mitch’s who had no idea what he was commenting on and no right to comment on it in the first place. 

“Yeah. He is. And I’m so fucking proud of how far he’s come. But I’ve been with Mitch since 2015 and neither of us had money. So if you’re implying that I’m a gold digger, then I suggest you take your issues up with Mitch.”

William’s cheeks went a little red, “I’m just looking out for my friends.”

“I’m sure.”

“Dude,” he defended, “none of us even knew Mitch had a roommate until today.”

“It’s my apartment, I pay the rent, and I pull my own fucking weight on date nights. Not that it’s your business, because I really don’t owe you any explanations.”

“Don’t,” William bit his lip as if reconsidering his next words, “I believe you. But don’t tell Mitch I asked.”

“I believe in being honest with your partner. So if he asks what we talked about, I’m not lying to save your ass.”

William sighed, “That’s fair.”

Auston buzzed them into the building and they rode the elevator back up to his apartment. Mitch greeted him with a grin and squeezed his shoulder, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Auston tried to sound reassuring, but he could tell it didn’t quite go over as well as he hoped. 

Mitch gave him a questioning look, eyes squinted a little and head tilted, but Auston just shook his head, they could talk about it later. 

The rest of the night was filled with video games and chirping and eating the cupboards bare. William never really addressed Auston directly, and Auston could tell Mitch noticed. 

It wasn’t until later that the boys started questioning Auston. 

“So, Auston, how did you move in?”

He tensed, ever so slightly, before answering, “I moved it when I started University last year.”

“Oh nice, explains the location,” Morgan Rielly answered, “It’s definitely better decorated than Mitch could’ve ever done alone.”

Auston snorted, “Yeah that’s mostly my mom’s doing. She did all this when I first moved in.”

Another guy, Auston couldn’t remember his name, asked, “How do you manage school with Mitch here? I’m sure he’s loud and distracting.”

Mitch squawked, offended, and Auston squeezed his shoulder comfortingly, “I do most of my schoolwork in the library on campus, but Mitch is super respectful of my time and space.”

“Aww,” Naz cooed, somewhat mockingly, “Marns is a thoughtful roommate.”

Mitch gave Auston a knowing look, as if to say I told you they wouldn’t get it, and Auston shook his head at Mitch before responding, “Most of the time. He’s a little messy sometimes.”

“I can attest,” a guy Auston was pretty sure named Connor, Mitch’s road roommate, answered. 

“Hey,” Mitch protested loudly, “I’m a great roommate.”

“You are,” Auston reassured, “I’m glad you moved in.”

Mitch crossed his arms with a huff, but looked mostly appeased. Auston could tell the guys had more questions, but were holding them in which he really appreciated, especially after William’s passive-aggressive and offensive interrogation.

When the night ended and Mitch escorted them out, Naz held his hand out for Auston to shake, “Nice to meet you, Mitch’s roommate.”

“His name is Auston,” Mitch defended, arms crossed.

Naz looked at him, amused, “Fair enough. Nice to meet you Auston,” he amended, putting a ton of sarcastic emphasis on his name. 

Auston had a weird feeling in his chest, the kind he got when he normally failed a test, and he just wanted them out of his space. 

“Yeah, nice to meet you too, Mitch’s teammate.”

There were a few laughs and then they were gone. Auston felt himself deflate in relief. Mitch couldn’t wait though, “How do you think it went.”

“Not great, but could’ve been worse,” Auston answered truthfully. 

Mitch hummed, throwing all the trash he’d gathered in the living room into a bag, “I suppose you’re right. How many of them do you think realized?”

“William did. Gave me a shovel talk. Asked all the invasive questions he wanted.”

Mitch looked annoyed, “I’m sorry about him. He’s tactless.”

Auston shrugged, “Pretty used to hockey players being assholes. You’re the exception Mitchy.”

Blushing, Mitch waved his words away, “Oh hush.”

Auston smiled but did as he asked anyway. 

**Two**

Mitch didn’t really treat Auston like a secret, so they went out as frequently as possible. They tried different restaurants all over the city, whenever there wasn’t a Leafs game or Auston didn’t have homework. But they also had their regular places, usually near campus and the apartment so that they could walk, especially since Auston  _ hated _ driving in Toronto.

Auston also wasn’t big on PDA. Occasionally he’d let Mitch hold his hand or wrap an arm around his waist, but more often than not, they walked side by side, hands brushing every so often. So maybe that was a reason no one made the assumption.

One afternoon, they were getting an early dinner. Auston had a study group later that night, and he wanted to eat beforehand, so they were going to their favorite sushi place which was usually fast.

Unfortunately, their regular sushi place was a bit closer to the arena, and they had to drive. Mitch plugged his phone in and started playing their compromise playlist which wasn’t country music and wasn’t Justin Bieber. No matter how much Mitch insisted it was Toronto loyalty to listen to him.

Auston buckled up as Mitch pulled into traffic and relaxed back into the seat. Mitch glanced over, “What have you got going on tonight?”

“Study group for anatomy.”

“Is that the one you only have three tests for that make up most of your grade?”

“That’s the one,” Auston confirmed.

Mitch hummed, “That sounds rough. Do you need me to pick you up after?”

“That would be great actually. I’m not sure how late we’ll go though, so don’t force yourself to stay up if you get tired. I know it’s mid-season.”

“I won’t get tired,” Mitch answered confidently.

Auston snorted, “Okay, tell that to the bags under your eyes.”

“Pot, kettle,” he countered, and Auston had to concede. They were both exhausted. There was a surprising amount of street parking near the restaurant, and even Mitch had to sit in awe for a few seconds when he found a spot a few storefronts down.

“I hope we didn’t use all our good karma on street parking,” Auston muttered. And maybe he was right because although there was plenty of parking, the restaurant was almost full.The hostess recognized them and offered them to wait for their usual table to get cleaned or to just take a different one. Auston was somewhat in a hurry, so they took the new one which was more in the open than their usual in a corner.

Mitch looked around cautiously as they ordered drinks and food, already knowing what they wanted. When Auston nudged his foot under the table, he told him, “I feel really exposed.”

Auston shrugged, “I doubt anyone will approach us.” And it actually did stay the case for a while, until they caught a girl at another table taking a picture of them because she didn’t realize the flash was on.

Mitch flinched, “Rude as fuck.”

In an uncharacteristic show of affection, Auston reached across the table to grab Mitch’s hand, “It’s alright. No direct interruptions right?”

“Yeah, but I’ll go on Twitter tonight and there will be a whole video about Mitch Marner being distracted by a boy, that’s why his hockey is suffering or some other bullshit.”

Auston laughed and slotted a foot in between Mitch’s, “I think that’s probably a bit extreme. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen you react like this about fans.”

Mitch rubbed his forehead, clearly frustrated, “Most of them are fine, I guess. I just feel like some of them take things too far and I end up getting burned for it.”

“Like what?”

“Like if someone posts something about my outfit because they love it, people will react like ‘oh Marner spends too much time shopping’ or ‘overpaid Marner spending all his money on clothes’. Stuff like that.”

“Maybe,” Auston started gently, “you should delete Twitter for a while. Let the team social media person and PR handle it for you.”

He barked out a bitter laugh, “Yeah, that would go over well if anyone found out.”

“It’s not really their business.”

“Thus is the life of a public figure,” Mitch answered, defeated, as the waiter set their food on the table. He gave Mitch a concerned look before turning and heading back to the kitchen. 

Auston laughed, “Careful, Mitchy, you’re worrying the wait staff.”

“I’m sure they’ve seen worse.”

Mitch ate his sushi sadly, and Auston had to push back a laugh at how pathetic he looked so as not to offend his boyfriend. After a few minutes of that, Auston reached for his hand again, “Hey babe, I promise, two roommates eating dinner will not break Leafs Twitter. But you looking miserable to be here with me might.”

Straightening up, Mitch rubbed his eyes with a sigh, “You’re right.”

“I usually am,” Auston told him smugly.

“Okay,” Mitch pointed at him with his chopsticks, “don’t get too cocky there, buddy.”

They both laughed and went back to eating. Auston was just glad Mitch’s mood had seemingly lifted enough. It would be a shame if their only dinner together this week was ruined by a teenage girl and her camera phone. 

When they left the restaurant, Mitch instinctively reached for his hand, but before he could fully grab it, someone called his name from behind. Both boys turned to look at the same girl who’d taken the picture, Mitch’s smile looking completely fake.

“Hi,” she started breathlessly, “I was just wondering if I could get a picture. You’re like my favorite player ever!”

Mitch opened his mouth, and Auston could tell whatever response he had wasn’t going to be friendly, so he elbowed Mitch in the side and stepped away to hold his hand out for the camera, “I can take it.”

The girl crowded into Mitch’s side with a wide smile, and he wrapped an arm around her. Auston couldn’t tell if she realized how unnaturally stiff Mitch was standing, but she didn’t say anything until after Auston handed the phone off.

“I aspire to play like you, Mitch. It’s really so cool to meet you.”

Mitch’s face relaxed and he smiled at her, “You play?”

She nodded eagerly and Auston stepped away to let Mitch talk to her. It was getting close to time for him to be at one of his study group members' apartments, but he didn’t want to rush them. He knew that Mitch was tired and annoyed, but he liked talking to fans and was grateful they liked him enough to give him a platform. 

“I don’t know how much they’re going to like me when I have to sign a contract, so I’m going to soak it up now,” Mitch joked pretty frequently.

A few of his group members had sent texts confirming the time and asking if someone was bringing food or if they needed to eat before. Auston texted that he’d probably be a little late, but he’d already eaten if they wanted to do that until he got there.

Mitch cleared his throat after about five minutes, and Auston’s head snapped up to look at him, “Yeah, Mitchy?”

“You need to go?”

Auston checked the time again, “I’m good for a few more minutes.”

The girl looked back and forth between them, and asked, “Wait, are you one of Mitch’s childhood friends?”

Auston snorted, “No, we met a few years ago.”

“We’re roommates,” Mitch told her, pulling Auston closer by his sleeve.

Her eyebrows shot up, “Roommates or and they were roomates?”

Mitch gave her a weird look and Auston bit back a laugh, “It’s a Vine reference Mitchy. It’s and they were roommates, by the way.”

She bit her lip, “It was very nice to meet you both. Mitch, you’re an even bigger icon than I thought before.”

Auston busted out laughing as she walked away and threw one of his arms over Mitch’s shoulders, “Come on, bud. I got somewhere to be.”

He caught his stride a few seconds later and elbowed Auston, “What did that mean?”

“Don’t worry about it, babe.”

**Three**

Most of the boys had caught on that Mitch had a significant other. Begging off nights out with poor excuses so he could hang out with Auston on the rare nights Auston took a break from studying made it pretty obvious.

They started to tease him about it, asking to meet his girlfriend, asking if he met her through Auston, and one very tipsy teammate miscalculated his joke of a question to the point Mitch actually left the bar early because he was so upset.

Auston jumped when Mitch slammed the door open. He’d been doing homework on the couch, reading for his bio class, but he shut the book as soon as he caught one look on Mitch’s face. Patting the spot next to him on the couch, he gently asked, “What’s wrong, Mitchy?”

Mitch took a deep breath, fingernails digging into his palms until Auston massaged his hand to get him to loosen it. Taking another deep breath, Mitch finally managed to answer, “One of the boys asked me if I was ashamed to bring my girlfriend around because she’s ugly.”

Auston’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, “Woah, that’s a bit uncalled for.”

“A bit,” Mitch scoffed, “it’s totally not his fucking business in the first place, and secondly, he’d be lucky if a girl talked to him at all.”

Snorting, Auston pulled Mitch into a hug, letting Mitch rest his forehead on his collarbone. Bending his head, Auston pressed a kiss to the top of Mitch’s head, “Well, you can at least take solace that the reason you aren’t bringing me around is me being ugly.”

“You are hot,” Mitch mumbled into his neck, “don’t know how I tricked you into dating me.”

Auston hummed, “The money.”

Mitch smiled, lips curling up against his will, and he heard the smile in Auston’s tone too. Squeezing Auston’s hand, he backed up, “That’s fair.”

“Seriously Mitch,” Auston squeezed his hand, tilting his chin up to look Auston in the eye with his other hand, “I love you and I don’t give a fuck about your teammates or what they think. So if you want to tell them to get the questioning to stop, I’m okay with it.”

Shaking his head sadly, Mitch tucked a strand of Auston’s hair that had fallen over his forehead behind his ear, “Outing us wouldn’t stop the questioning. I don’t want to fuck your life up.”

“Mitch, it wouldn’t. I’m just a university student. You’re the one whose life would be changed.”

“I don’t,” Mitch huffed, rubbing his knee anxiously, “I don’t owe them any explanations, but I also don’t want you to think that I’m embarrassed of you. I’d love to shout it to the world that we’re together, but I’m not sure the world is ready.”

Nodding thoughtfully, Auston answered carefully, “To be fair, I’m not sure the world will ever be ready.”

Mitch laughed, breaking the tension, “You’re right.”

“Always am.”

-

Mitch  _ normally _ liked shooting things for Leafs Nation. They put up with the team being unsuccessful, unpredictable, and just flat out miserable for so long, it’s the least they could do to give them content, and it was fun usually. 

The Leaf to Leaf with Marty started out pretty well. Marty was a dumbass, but he was one of Mitch’s closest friends on the team despite being one of the ones most persistent about meeting Mitch’s girlfriend.

The past few months he’d gotten more bothersome about it, intentionally showing up at the apartment randomly to try and catch Mitch with a girl. The only thing he found was either just Mitch, or Mitch and Auston hanging out.

One afternoon, he apparently caught Auston getting ready to leave for work. When he asked about Mitch’s girlfriend, if Auston knew her, he told Marty, “Yeah, something like that.” Mitch would’ve given anything to see his face.

The questions started easy, and they fell into the usual routine of Marty picking on Mitch about the smallest things. He knew he’d be hearing about lawyer school for a while based purely on the glee in Marty’s expression and the laughter from the camera crew.

At least it would be a step up from the incessant relationship questioning. Mitch would gladly take it. And then they got to a question about what he liked to do in his spare time. Mitch threw a basic answer that he thought covered most of the bases, but froze when Marty said, “What about your girlfriend?”

It was a trap and Marty fucking knew it. He knew Mitch would have to acknowledge it in front of everyone, so he paused, considering his options, and thought, fuck it. After a deep breath, Mitch responded, “Boyfriend.”

Marty was stunned, “What?”

“My boyfriend,” Mitch repeated, more confidently.

He saw the person on the camera turning it off, much to his pleasant surprise. Marty blinked a few times trying to process, and tactlessly answered, “Since when have you been gay?”

“I mean, it’s not a choice, so since forever.”

“No I know,” Marty tripped over his words, trying to recover, “I just. No one knows?”

“People know.”

“Why haven’t you told us?”

Mitch narrowed his eyes, “It’s not your business. The people who need to know about it and that’s all that matters.”

Marty actually looked a little hurt, “I thought we were bros,” he mumbled.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t constitute me sharing my most personal shit. It’s not just me I’d be outing.”

Starting to look like he was getting it, Marty’s cheeks reddened, “Yeah, I guess I know what you mean.”

Mitch breathed out a sigh of relief, “Doubt it, but just, don’t talk about it.”

Marty held his hands up, “Yeah, you got it dude.”

-

Mitch was pacing when Auston got back home, and Auston took one look at him before detouring straight to the kitchen. He let Mitch pace for about five minutes before walking out with two steaming mugs of tea.

Setting them down, he pulled Mitch over to the couch by his hand and passed him a mug. Mitch mindlessly took a sip, wincing when it burned his tongue, and Auston snorted fondly, “Careful, bud. It’s hot.”

Mitch hummed, “Yeah, I see that.”

They blew on the tea in silence while Auston waited on him to talk. After a few sips of the cooled tea, Auston decided to prompt him, “So, did something happen to you at practice?”

Rubbing his eyes tiredly, Mitch laughed humorlessly, “You mean besides the normal bullshit Babs pulls?”

Auston’s eyes darkened at the mention of the coach he had to sit back and watch put Mitch through hell, but he chose not to press it for Mitch’s sake, “Besides that.”

“Well, we had to film a Leaf to Leaf today.”

“Don’t you normally like filming those?” Auston asked, confused.

Smiling wryly, Mitch answered, “Yeah, I normally do. They paired me with Marty too, thought it was going to be a breeze.”

Auston had mixed feelings about Marty. He pressured Mitch a lot, and Auston didn’t like his tendency of just invading their space whenever he felt like it. Mitch really looked up to the guy, but Auston got the vibe Marty would hate crime him without a second thought.

“So what happened that made it not a breeze.”

Much to Auston’s horror, Mitch’s eyes filled with tears, “I don’t know, it was like the normal teasing at first and it just got to be too much. I felt. Shitty.”

Auston took the mug out of Mitch’s hand and pulled him into a tight hug, leaning back until they were reclined on the couch, Mitch mostly resting on Auston’s chest.

“Tell me about it,” he urged Mitch, “What made you feel shitty?”

“I don’t know. I guess I know I’m not as smart as you, you know. Like you’re at a good school in a really tough biology program and you work in a lab and have academic aspirations with like med school and shit. I’m just a hockey player.”

Auston stroked a hand through Mitch’s hair, “We have different callings Mitch. School wasn’t your thing, it was mine, and we’re both thriving in our choices. Just because you couldn’t get into the University of Toronto’s biology program doesn’t make you any dumber than me, it just means your strengths lie elsewhere.”

Mitch sniffled, “I guess I’m just tired of the guys treating me like I’m just a dumb jock.”

“Well, who knows more about you, me or them?”

“You,” Mitch admitted.

“Me,” Auston confirmed, “so take my word for it over theirs.”

“You’re right.”

Auston smiled at the admission, “Yes I am. Was there anything else that happened?”

Mitch froze on top of him, heartbeat quickening, “Actually yes. I told Marty I had a boyfriend.”

Auston’s hand paused for the slightest moment, “Oh yeah?”

“I’m so sorry, Aus,” he rushed out, “I just was so tired of him asking about my girlfriend that it slipped. I promise they won’t air it or anything, I made them swear to delete that footage.”

“Woah,” Auston soothed, “I’m not mad at you, Mitchy. I’m mad at whoever pressured you into doing something before you were ready.”

“I don’t think he meant harm,” Mitch mumbled, playing with the strings of Auston’s hoodie.

“No matter the intention, you were pressured into coming out. It’s traumatic, Mitch.”

“I mean, I guess.”

Auston ran a hand up and down his back comfortingly, “It is. I’m here for you always, and I don’t even mind your teammates finding out about us, but I want it to be on  _ our _ terms, not because they pressured you into it.”

“So you’re not mad at me?” Mitch clarified.

“Correct.”

A breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding rushed out of Mitch, “I love you.”

“I love you too, bud. And whatever happens with Marty, we’ll deal with it together.”

“I don’t deserve you,” he poked Auston’s nose.

Auston shook his head, “You deserve everything good.”

**Four**

When Mitch started streaming on Twitch, Auston wasn’t even a little bit surprised. With the amount of Twitch his boyfriend watched in his spare time, Auston knew he had to have at least considered it. One night over dinner, Mitch finally brought it up.

“Okay but listen,” he waved his fork around to emphasize his point, “I could connect it to the Assist Fund, like people give donations to streamers but instead of keeping it, the money goes straight to charity.”

Auston hummed, “That could actually be really cool, Mitchy.”

“I need to talk to some people, help me get it set up, but I don’t know. I play with the boys a lot so that could draw an audience.”

-

It all came together much faster than Auston expected it to, and he got the tweet notification that Mitch was streaming that night for the first time, the night of his last final. It was exhausting, he’d never written so much for an anatomy course in his life, and by the time he dragged himself home, he’d forgotten all about the stream.

Auston wanted nothing more than to collapse into Mitch’s arms and pass the fuck out, but when he walked in, Mitch was already talking to someone. Assuming he was FaceTiming Dylan, Auston went straight to the kitchen for food before going to say hi.

Sandwich in hand a few minutes later, he went to the living room, eager for a kiss and to vent about his final, but when he saw Mitch playing Call of Duty, Auston remembered Mitch was live, probably in front of several hundred Leafs fans.

He dropped down onto the couch and waited for Mitch to notice he was home. Pulling Twitch up on his phone, he switched over to the stream to see how things were going, amused when he saw the chat start questioning who he was.

Mitch glanced up to read and whirled around, smiling widely, “Aus!” Auston waved and Mitch turned back around to address the webcam eagerly, “This is my roommate, Auston.”

Auston gave a little nod, and Mitch waved him over, “Come say hey.”

With a small sigh, Auston set the plate with his sandwich down and walked over to take Mitch’s outstretched hand. Squeezing gently, Auston smiled, “Hey guys.”

Mitch squeezed back and watched the chat, “Oh, yep,” he reached over to straighten Auston’s shirt which had the University of Toronto logo and biology department written across it, “Auston is a genius.”

Cheeks heating up, Auston slapped Mitch’s hand away, “Not a genius,” he muttered.

“Don’t be so modest, Aus. He is super smart, pre-med and everything.”

Before Auston could respond Mitch made a face and started talking into his headset again, so Auston pulled away and went back to the couch to watch. Mitch gaming in the background was familiar, and he basked in the comfort of it, drifting off a bit on the couch when he finished eating.

The chat must’ve started talking about it because after a few minutes, he felt Mitch press a kiss to his forehead and whisper, “Goodnight, bud.”

That first time wasn’t Auston’s only time in the background of streams. He made frequent appearances either just walking through the room or sitting on the couch doing something for school. Mitch mostly handled talking to the chat, but occasionally he’d call Auston over to entertain them. Usually he only joined them in making fun of Mitch.

“Auston totally has a ton of dirt on Mitch, please spill,” Auston read out one afternoon from his spot on the floor next to Mitch’s chair. He thought for a few seconds, “Mitch has the palate of a child. Getting him to branch out with foods is like pulling teeth. He also hates soup.”

He didn’t realize how much controversy that one would cause, but Mitch told him several times how often it was brought up. Auston always just laughed, the people needed to know. Mitch disagreed.

-

One night, during a stream, Mitch slipped. He’d been keeping the roommate facade going, but Auston was headed out to a meeting with his lab group, and when he told Mitch bye, Mitch answered with, “Be safe, babe, and call if you want me to come pick you up after.”

Auston didn’t even flinch, it was a pretty normal conversation, but Mitch freaked out a few seconds later when the chat exploded. He wasn’t stupid, he knew journalists frequented his streams, and he knew they’d much rather write a good story than keep that a secret, so he pointedly ignored the questions.

He spent the next few days waiting for the other shoe to drop, and if Auston noticed how tense he was, he didn’t bring it up. But it never did, no articles were written and no one really brought it up again, so slowly, he started to relax.

Which of course is when Auston brought it up, as they were getting ready for bed. He cleared his throat, “Hey, Mitchy, what got you so upset these last few days?”

Mitch’s cheeks went pink, “You noticed, huh?”

“Of course I did. You started timing your streams around when I wasn’t home. Did I do something wrong?”

He was horrified, how could Auston think he did something. Mitch was quick to reassure, “No, oh my god, definitely not you. I slipped a few nights ago, called you babe on stream and people started asking questions.”

Auston raised his eyebrows and dried his face off, “So?”

Mitch’s jaw dropped, partially because he didn’t have an answer and partially because he didn’t expect Auston to be as chill about it as he was. Auston kept staring at him, clearly expecting an answer, so Mitch managed, “It’s pretty telling, and I thought we were keeping this a secret.”

With a shrug, Auston told him simply, “We shouldn’t have to hide in our own home.”

Which was an excellent point Mitch hadn’t really considered. He tilted his head to process Auston’s point, “I guess that’s true.”

“Plus on the literal first stream you walked over and kissed me on the forehead. Hate to break it to you, Mitchy, but that’s not exactly bro behavior.”

Mitch shook his head, “It’s never gay to kiss the homies.”

Auston snorted, “I guess we did both have socks on.”

“Oh my god, I hate you,” Mitch muttered, fighting back a smile, and then continued, “so you don’t mind?”

“I don’t if you don’t.”

“You’re not my dirty little secret.”

Auston gave him an amused look, “I’d sure hope not.”

And after that conversation, Mitch got a lot more comfortable. He never relaxed enough to kiss Auston fully, but he did touch him every time he walked by and brought the pet names back that he usually called Auston when they were home.

The chat never brought it up, clearly not wanting to rock the boat, and Mitch was thankful. He did get sent an article by a very amused Auston titled  _ Mitch Marner and His Roommate: Best Bromance in the NHL? _

Auston told him, “I guess I’m in the NHL now. And apparently wrong, it is bros to kiss the homies and call them babe.”

People also started to catch on that Auston would sometimes show up in the chat if he ever wasn’t home during a stream. Mitch didn’t realize at first, seeming to take offense to whoever this guy was roasting the hell out of him as often as possible, but eventually he realized they included some details most of the public didn’t know.

“Mitch your room is cleaner than your video game abilities and that’s saying something,” Mitch read aloud, eyebrows furrowing, before he jolted, “Oh my god, Aus, shut the fuck up.” And the chat went wild, they constantly asked for him to show. 

Laying in bed, Mitch draped on top of Auston, he muttered, “I think they like you better than me.”

Auston snorted, “As they should.”

Mitch nodded, “I totally agree. My better half.”

Smiling fondly, Auston pressed a kiss on the top of Mitch’s head, and the two of them drifted off to sleep. 

**Five**

Auston didn’t go to many games, he didn’t have much time, but when Mitch shyly offered him tickets to sit with his family for Mitch’s first game back from injury, he wanted nothing more than to go.

“You sure you want me to go?” he double checked, “It’s a fairly big statement.”

Mitch sighed, “I’m kind of tired of hiding.”

Nodding, Auston smiled at him, “Hey, I’m down. I just wanted to make sure.”

He went back and forth the night of the game whether he wanted to actually wear one of Mitch’s jerseys or just put on some of the many Leafs sweatshirts he’d come to own over the years. But it was Mitch’s first game back, first game playing with the new coach, and supporting Mitch was infinitely more important than people asking questions about him.

Grabbing the white Stadium Series jersey out of the closet, Auston got dressed and waited for Mitch’s mom to text him that they were waiting outside the building to pick him up. Anything to avoid having to drive in Toronto traffic.

Bonnie, Chris, and Chris’s girlfriend were all in the car when Auston got in, and they greeted him enthusiastically. Chris informed him that they rarely got glass seats but that Mitch shelled out for them to be there, which Auston knew, but he humored him.

In general, Chris was really nice to Auston. Knowing how he grew up, in hockey culture, Auston couldn’t have asked for much more from him, and Chris took their relationship fully in stride, even hanging out with Auston a few times before Mitch moved to Toronto. 

“Nice jersey,” Chris smirked, “did you buy it or is it actually Mitch’s.”

“He doesn’t need me to pad his sales,” Auston told him, laughing, “surprised you couldn’t tell by the fit.”

Snorting, Chris answered, “Touche. Very nice of Mitch to share, that’s not a skill he learned as a child, selfish bastard.”

“Hey,” Bonnie snapped from the driver’s seat, making eye contact with Chris in the rearview window, “language, Christopher.”

“I’m literally 26, Mom.”

“Old enough to know better.”

Auston held in his laughter as Chris pouted, knowing not to argue with his mom, and it was only a few more minutes until they got to one of the farther parking garages from the arena. Chris looked at it, a few blocks away, and muttered, “Mitch couldn’t even get us good parking, what a cheapskate.”

“We should be thankful to have the seats we do,” Bonnie scolded him, “I hope you texted him thank you.”

“He makes bank, he can afford the seats  _ and _ parking.”

“I definitely can’t,” Auston cut in.

Chris tilted his head, “I forget you’re med school broke right now.”

He nodded, “That I am.”

The group set off down the sidewalk toward the arena, and Auston felt the excitement building in his stomach. It had been so long since he’d seen Mitch play in person, and he was ready. As they got closer to the arena, Chris asked, “Wait who are we playing?”

“Colorado,” Auston told him, disgusted tone.

“Whew, what’s with all the hostility, bud?”

“I grew up a Yotes fan.”

Chris grimaced, “Okay, yeah, fair.” They got in without fuss, no one seemed to recognize the family at all, and Chris stopped to buy them all beers. Auston thanked him, and he shrugged, “For my favorite brother, who's broke right now.”

“I’ll hit you back one day.”

“I expect more than a beer when you get a doctor job, Matts.”

Chris’s girlfriend and Bonnie elbowed him simultaneously, and he yelped dramatically, drawing the attention of several Leafs fans around them. For a second, Auston thought he saw recognition in some of their eyes, and he muttered to the group, “Maybe we should go sit.”

Bonnie must’ve seen it too because she led the group into their proper section and down to the glass. They weren’t right by the bench, closer to the corner, but Auston was fine with that. Chris wasn’t, “Damn, can’t distract him from here.”

“Christopher,” Bonnie scolded again, “stop trying to get your brother in trouble.”

Chris rolled his eyes, “Even when he’s an adult, he’s still the favorite.”

“Always so dramatic,” his girlfriend muttered, and Auston snorted.

He leaned over, “You chose this.”

“So did you,” she told him, her smile growing wider as he tilted his head in acknowledgement.

“I suppose we did.”

When the team came out for warmups, Mitch found them immediately, and skated over to the glass. Auston held his fist out for Mitch to bump through the glass and Chris mock gagged. Bonnie rolled her eyes, her usual response to Chris, Auston was starting to realize, and waved at Mitch excitedly.

“Good luck,” she told him.

“Yeah, don’t die,” Chris added.

Auston laughed, “You’re going to do great, babe.”

He looked nervous, but nodded at all their words, yelling back, “Thanks for coming,” before skating away.

A few of the guys Auston had met before nodded at him in acknowledgment, which was plenty for him, he didn’t really care to discuss much with them. Some of them hadn’t been the most supportive when Mitch eventually came out to them, and Auston hadn’t forgotten the ones his boyfriend cried over in his arms that night.

Warmups flew by, and before he knew it, the game was starting. Mitch was flying right off the bat. He looked healthy and Auston was so proud. He’d seen how down Mitch was while he was hurt, they’d gotten into arguments when Mitch had tried to do too much when he should’ve been resting.

“He’s gonna score a goal,” Chris spoke confidently, “I can feel it.”

“Multi-point game for sure,” Auston muttered, fingers locked together in front of his mouth. Despite a few close calls and some good shots by the Leafs, the first stayed scoreless, and Auston stayed pretty tense until the horn.

Chris stood, “Another beer anyone?”

His girlfriend squeezed Auston’s shoulder, “Get this man another.”

Snorting, Auston stood, “I’ll go with you. Gotta pee anyway.”

The beer line was long, so Auston disappeared into the bathroom while Chris joined it. He used it and washed his hands, careful to not get any water on the jersey, and while he wasn’t paying attention, a guy walked up behind him and tapped his shoulder.

Jumping, Auston whirled around, “Um, hi?”

“Sup, dude. I don’t mean to sound weird, but are you Marner’s roommate?”

“Oh,” Auston was a bit taken aback, “Yeah, that’s me.”

The dude grinned, “Oh my god I knew it, I recognized you from the streams.”

Lips twitching, Auston nodded, “Yep. Mitch is terrible.”

“Seems like you guys get along well.”

“We’ve lived together a few years now, so we’re pretty used to it.”

“That’s sick dude. Can you tell him it’s great to have him back, we’ve needed him out there.”

Auston was a little impressed, and smiled at the guy, “Yeah, for sure.”

Chris gave him a weird look when he joined him in line, “What took so long?”

“Ran into someone in the bathroom?”

“That you know?” Chris asked, intrigued.

Auston snorted, “Nah, recognized me from Twitch.”

“Damn,” Chris whistled, “someone’s famous.”

“Oh my god, shut up.”

Chris’s only response was to laugh. 

The rest of the game went by in a blur, it was close, and at the end, everyone was on their feet in time to watch Mitch slide a pass across the slot for JT to tap in. 

“YES!” Bonnie screamed, wrapping Chris into a hug. Chris’s girlfriend threw her arm over Auston’s shoulder and pulled him in tight, screaming along with everyone else, almost too loud to hear Hall & Oates. 

Mitch was beaming and he pointed over where they were sitting. Auston felt like his heart might explode, he’d never been happier for Mitch in his life. Happier than when Mitch made the roster or when the Leafs made the playoffs or even when Mitch scored his first NHL goal. Auston could see the weight of a slump dropping off his shoulders.

The rest of the game went by quickly, the last minute being full Avalanche dominated with an empty net, but it was all in vain. The final horn blasted, and the boys huddled around Freddie. Bonnie pulled everyone into a tight group hug, everyone vibrating with excitement for Mitch.

A lady behind them tapped Bonnie on the shoulder, “We love your son,” she said when Bonnie turned around.

Bonnie smiled politely, “Thank you, we do too.”

The four of them waited until the crowd cleared a bit before walking back up to leave. Chris looked over at Auston, “You waiting on Mitch to go home or are we dropping you off?”

Auston hummed, “I think I’ll just go with you guys. Make some food for Mitch to eat when he gets home.”

Bonnie pinched his cheek, “The sweetest.”

-

Auston was already on the couch when Mitch got home, wearing sweats and one of Mitch’s old practice t-shirts. He looked up when Mitch walked in, opening his arms up for Mitch to fall into, so Mitch did, snuggling up to rest his head on Auston’s chest.

“You were incredible tonight,” Auston told him quietly, chest vibrating under Mitch’s cheek.

Mitch bit his lip, “You think?”

“Two assists on the night is pretty good considering it was 3-1, babe.”

“I guess that’s true,” Mitch responded, trying to fake modesty a little bit.

Auston chuckled, “Just take the compliment and go dumbass.”

Mitch pouted for a few seconds before tensing and pushing up, hand planted straight on Auston’s chest, “Oh, they asked me about you.”

“What?”

“Someone from TSN saw you guys out there tonight and asked who you were.”

“Someone stopped me in the bathroom too.”

Eyebrows raised, Mitch responded, “Wait, in the bathroom?”

“Mhmm,” Auston hummed, “recognized me from your stream.”

“Look who’s famous,” Mitch teased.

Rolling his eyes, Auston told him, “That’s what Chris said too.”

Mitch made a face before moving on, “Whatever. Hey, do you want to know what I told the TSN reporter?”

“I’d love to hear it, sweetheart.”

Eyes welling up with tears, Mitch smiled down at him softly, “I told them that the most important people in the world were there for me tonight.”

Auston’s face softened, and he curled his fingers into Mitch’s still shower damp hair, pulling him down into a kiss. Mitch stroked over his cheek, and could feel the heat on them. Pulling away slightly but not too far, Auston smiled against his lips.

**Plus One**

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Auston asked.

Mitch took a shaky breath, “I want to, I promise.”

Nodding, Auston started scrolling through his pictures to find a good one of the two of them to post to Mitch’s Instagram. His chin was resting on Auston’s shoulder, looking down at the phone, and when Auston started favoriting a few, he gently grabbed the phone.

“What’s up?” Auston asked, “Did you not like them?”

“I think,” Mitch cleared his throat, “I think I have a better idea.”

Auston leaned back against the couch and raised his eyebrows, “What’s that?”

“So I was talking to my brother a few weeks ago, and we had a conversation about how he proposed to his girlfriend.”

Heart pounding, Auston sat up, “Yeah?”

“Mhmm, he was telling me about how he did it on their anniversary so that he wouldn’t ever forget the date.”

“Pretty smart of Chris.”

“He’s very forgetful, so I told him it was probably for the best.”

Auston rubbed his hands on his thighs, “Anything else you talked about?”

“Yes, he also told me he did it in the park where they walked after their first date, just talking and getting to know each other.”

“That’s sweet.”

“I agree, I like the idea of proposing on a special date in a special place.”

Auston’s voice had an almost hysterical edge, “I like that too.”

“Right. So Chris asked me when I was going to pop the question. Which of course I told him what if you wanted to propose, it was a two-way street. But I also told him that you wanted to finish medical school first, which he totally understood.”

“He does make fun of me for being med school broke quite a bit,” Auston admitted, laughing.

“Boy could never hang in medical school, but I hope you know it comes from a place of love for him.”

“Oh I know, I’m not offended.”

“Good. I love that you and Chris get along. I’ve dated people that Chris absolutely hated.”

Auston smiled, “Not sure how anyone could hate Chris.”

“Well, I can see it.”

“You’re his brother, his pesky little brother to be exact, I know you can see it.”

Mitch breathed out a laugh, “Yeah, I guess so. I just wanted to say, when we do get married, I’m really happy that the two of you are friends.”

Auston started to relax, it seemed like Mitch wasn’t going to propose, just that he started a long winded story to get to a point about a certain picture they could post. Slumping back, he smiled, “So, do you have a point, Mitchy?”

“Right, yes, my point. I was thinking that since you’re almost done with medical school, now would be a good time to do this.”

“Do what?” Auston played dumb, not wanting to get his hopes up.

“Auston, we met randomly in a bar in Florida. We’ve been dating for years. Through the ups and downs of my career, injuries and sickness, coaching problems and contract disputes. You’ve been there for me through teammates letting me down, accepting that sometimes I have to hide you even though I love you.”

Auston blinked, eyes filling with tears as Mitch reached forward to grab his hand, “Even if you’re only here because I’m a millionaire-”

“I’m not,” Auston cut him off, shaking his head with faux exasperation.

“ _ Even if _ that were the case, I think I’ve won you over for real anyway. So, I think that even though we’ve talked about it and practically committed to it, we should make it official. Auston, do you want to marry me?”

Auston was nodding before he even finished the question, “Of course Mitchy, obviously I want to marry you.”

Mitch was smiling at him, eyes crinkled, before he jolted forward, “Oh!” He dug through his pockets until he pulled out a ring, loose in his pocket, no box. Auston laughed as Mitch grabbed his hand and stared at it for a second, whispering under his breath, “Wait, what finger?”

Wiggling his ring finger, Auston watched excitedly as Mitch pushed the ring up. It fit perfectly. Mitch linked their fingers together and ran his thumb over the band a few times. Auston squeezed gently, “You weren’t worried it would fall out?”

“I thought about doing it over lunch, and my pockets were way too small for a whole ring box.”

“What changed your mind?”

“It didn’t feel like us. I wanted to do it in our first home together.”

Auston hummed, “I like it better that way. What about the day, what’s the significance?”

“I made the roster and called you about moving in almost eight years ago.”

“I’m genuinely surprised you remembered that,” Auston admitted, impressed.

Mitch blushed, “It popped up on my Snapchat memories.”

Laughing loudly, Auston tackled Mitch back onto the couch in a tight hug, “You’re my absolute favorite person in the world.”

“I love you most, too,” Mitch responded, reaching up to kiss him.

Auston broke away, “Wait, what’s the picture idea?”

“Oh!” Mitch sat up and picked his phone up off the floor, “I took a little video, I don’t think you saw.”

He leaned over and rested his head on Mitch’s shoulder to watch. Mitch slid the ring up Auston’s finger and then panned the camera up to his beaming face. Auston could tell his cheeks were a little more reddened than usual, and Mitch brought the camera back down to focus on their hands while Mitch stroked over the band with his thumb.

“That’s kind of cute,” Auston admitted.

“Kind of,” Mitch scoffed, “That’s the cutest shit I’ve ever seen.”

He posted it 30 minutes later after aching over a caption for it. Mitch turned down every single one of Auston’s suggestions, so he crossed his arms and pouted, waiting for Mitch to just hit post so he could call his parents.

His phone lit up with texts before he could do anything else, some of his friends from school who knew about Mitch clowning him for the cheesy caption. 

_ Mitch’s idea not mine _ he sent back before locking his phone. Mitch’s phone was blowing up similarly, but he pushed it away, pulling Auston into another kiss. They could talk to everyone else later.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr [here](http://bitchell-marner.tumblr.com/)!!!


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